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Man Sentenced In Tom Cruise Extortion Case
POSTED: 8:47 pm MST January 10,
2008
UPDATED: 11:39 am MST January 11,
2008
LOS ANGELES -- A man who plotted with a Phoenix publicist to extort $1.3 million from Tom Cruise in exchange for stolen wedding photographs of the actor and Katie Holmes was sentenced to two years probation Thursday.Marc Lewis Gittleman, 34, also was fined $3,000. He pleaded guilty Sept. 21 to interstate transportation of stolen property.Gittleman, a computer technician, told the court he was sorry."I brought unimaginable shame upon myself and my family," Gittleman said. "I'll be working the rest of my life to make it right."Gittleman had no prior criminal record and is receiving counseling for depression, his attorney Richard Hirsch said. Hirsch described the crime as an impulsive act that showed "colossal bad judgment."Gittleman wrote a letter of apology to Cruise's attorney, Hirsch said. Cruise was not in court."It is a mystery that, given your background, that you would allow yourself to succumb to this one instance of very poor judgment," U.S. District Judge George King told Gittleman.King and attorneys for both sides agreed that a prison sentence was not needed.Court documents show Gittleman obtained thousands of photos from a damaged hard drive that was brought to his workplace by a photographer.
Previous Story: 9/29/07 - Man In Tom Cruise Extortion Plot Kills Self
He then contacted David Hans Schmidt, 47, who was known for peddling nude photos and sex tapes of celebrities, and e-mailed Cruise demanding $1.3 million to keep the pictures private.Cruise's representatives called authorities, who set up a sting operation to catch Gittleman and Schmidt.Schmidt pleaded guilty to transmitting threatening communications with intent to extort. He hanged himself in September.ELSEWHERE ON KPHO.COM: The pilot of a US Airways flight said an 82-year-old man on oxygen didn't have the proper paperwork for the device and kicked him off the plane. CLICK HERE for details. MORE SLIDESHOWS: From the bizarre to the tragic to late-breaking news, visit the KPHO.com slideshow section and click away! CLICK HERE for images.
He then contacted David Hans Schmidt, 47, who was known for peddling nude photos and sex tapes of celebrities, and e-mailed Cruise demanding $1.3 million to keep the pictures private.Cruise's representatives called authorities, who set up a sting operation to catch Gittleman and Schmidt.Schmidt pleaded guilty to transmitting threatening communications with intent to extort. He hanged himself in September.
Copyright 2008 by KPHO.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved.
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